In one of several noteworthy presentations at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, it was reported that a higher intake of vitamin K is associated with a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.*

James Cerhan, MD, PhD and his colleagues at the Mayo Comprehensive Cancer Center compared 603 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients to 1,007 men and women who did not have cancer. The investigators found an association between a lower risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and increased consumption of vitamin K. For those whose intake of the vitamin was among the top 25% of participants at over 108 micrograms per day, the risk of the disease was 45% lower compared with those whose intake was among the lowest fourth at less than 39 micrograms per day.

“As with all new findings, this will need to be replicated in other studies,” Dr. Cerhan noted.

The American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010 was the site of a presentation concerning the finding of a protective effect of vitamin and calcium supplements against breast cancer.*

Jaime Matta, PhD of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and his colleagues compared 268 Puerto Rican women with breast cancer to 457 healthy control subjects. Participants who consumed vitamin supplements were found to have a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who did not have a history of vitamin supplementation, and those who consumed calcium supplements had a 40% lower risk.

“It is not an immediate effect,” Dr. Matta noted. “You don’t take a vitamin today and your breast cancer risk is reduced tomorrow. However, we did see a long-term effect in terms of breast cancer reduction.”

Editor’s note: Since cancer takes years to develop, long-term protective measures are essential.

—Dayna Dye

Reference

*American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

Supplement Use Associated with Lower Risk of Cervical Dysplasia in HPV-positive Women

The International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer reports the finding of Korean researchers of a lower risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (also known as cervical dysplasia) among human papilloma virus-positive women who consumed vitamin supplements. Human papilloma virus has been identified as the agent responsible for cervical cancer, for which cervical dysplasia is a precursor. The condition is detected by a pap smear and graded according to stage as 1, 2, or 3.*

Ninety women with cervical dysplasia 1 and 72 with cervical dysplasia 2/3 were compared with 166 control subjects. Women who used multivitamins had a 79% lower risk of cervical dysplasia 2/3 than those who did not use them. Similar reductions in cervical dysplasia 2/3 risk were observed for vitamins A, C, and E, and calcium use.

“Larger studies are needed for confirmation of these findings before the results can be generalized to a broader population,” the authors write.

Editor’s note: The researchers involved in this study previously uncovered a link between a lower risk of cervical cancer and increased antioxidant intake from diet and supplements.

—Dayna Dye

Reference

* Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2010 Apr;20(3):398-403.

Lower Rheumatoid Arthritis Rates Linked to Vitamin D

A study published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggest that increased vitamin D from sunlight exposure could have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease with unknown causes.*

For the current investigation, Boston University School of Public Health associate professor Verónica Vieira, MS, DSc and her colleagues analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which enrolled female nurses in the United States beginning in 1976. Four hundred sixty-one participants diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis between 1988 and 2002 were compared to 9,220 control subjects who did not have the disease. The researchers examined the association between rheumatoid arthritis risk and residential address.

The team found a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis among women living in the northeastern United States, suggesting that less sunlight exposure, and, consequently, decreased vitamin D production, could be a factor in the development of the disease.

Editor’s note: The authors remark that an association with northern latitudes has also been observed for multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune diseases.

—Dayna Dye

Reference

* Environ Health Perspect. 2010 March 25.

Lack of Sleep May Lead to Overeating

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that “sleep restriction could be one of the environmental factors that contribute to the obesity epidemic.”* In particular, the study discovered that normal-weight young men ate several hundred extra calories a day when they’d gotten just four hours of sleep compared to when they slept for a full eight hours.

The study, led by Dr. Laurent Brondel of the European Centre for Taste Sciences in Dijon, France, followed the sleep, eating, and energy expenditure in 12 healthy young men across two 48-hour periods. Two days served as a control period, where the men in the study adhered to their normal routines but wrote down their sleep, eating, and activities in a diary. During the second 48-hour period, the men went to bed at 12 am and woke up at 8 am on one day, and on the other day they went to bed at 2 am and woke up at 6 am. There were no eating restrictions during each period.

Researchers found that after the short night sleep, the men consumed 22% more calories, on average, than when they were allowed to sleep eight hours. This accounted for nearly 560 extra calories a day per person.

Editor’s note: Getting adequate sleep may be beneficial when trying to follow a low-calorie or calorie restricted diet.

—Jon Finkel

Reference

* Am J Clin Nutr 2010 Mar 31.

Low Vitamin B6 May Increase Parkinson’s Disease Risk

A study published by the British Journal of Nutrition states that inadequate levels of vitamin B6 may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 50%.* According to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, over two million Americans currently suffer from PD. While searching for optimal vitamin levels to combat Parkinson’s, researchers from Japan conducted a hospital-based case-control study involving 249 people with Parkinson’s disease and 368 people without any neurodegenerative condition.

In order to quantify the intake of B vitamins, the subjects filled out a self-administered, semi-quantitative, diet questionnaire. They observed that there was no link between riboflavin, folate, and vitamin B12, but low intake of vitamin B6 was linked to an increased risk of the disease, independent of other factors.

These findings agree with a previous study done by researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, England, that also linked increased B6 intake with Parkinson’s disease risk.

Editor’s note: These low levels of B6 intake would only occur in those who do not take vitamin supplements.

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